Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 15, 2020

Fans of George Pal who also are high definition aficionados have probably been ensconced in the relatively recent Criterion release of what is arguably Pal’s best remembered cinematic achievement as a producer, the 1953 version of The War of the Worlds. Pal’s fame as a producer of several well regarded science fiction or fantasy tinged films like Destination Moon and When Worlds Collide, as well as his somewhat more infrequent directing credits (at least at times in conjunction with producing, too) like Tom Thumb, The Time Machine and The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (as co-director) may have ironically tended to make even Pal fans forget about Pal’s early career. Pal’s foray into the American film industry after his emigration from Europe at the dawn of World War II came after some time in various overseas film production capacities, during which he patented the so-called “Pal-Doll Technique”, which became known on this side of the pond as the Puppetoons. While there are evidently some salient differences in how the animation of the 3D figures was accomplished in each case, the Puppetoons may well remind fans of the “stop motion animation” of venerable figures like Ray Harryhausen. ( Puppetoon animator Bob Baker is on hand in an informative supplement where he gets into some of the differences between Pal's technique, which utilized scores of different puppets for the same character, and Harryhausen's, which tended to uses "armature" puppets that could be manipulated.) The Puppetoon Movie aggregated several Puppetoon shorts that Pal made for Paramount in the 1940s, with a contextualizing “story” that includes other famous animated figures like Gumby and Pokey. But as enjoyable as The Puppetoon Movie is, it may be the bounteous supplements included in this two disc set that really attracts the interest of Pal fans.

The bookending segments of The Puppetoon Movie may simultaneously call back to Bambi vs. Godzilla while also presaging Toy Story in a way by offering a showdown between a dinosaur and a deer, though the dinosaur turns out to be about as threatening as Rex in the Pixar outing, and in fact the entire setup turns out to be a "film" being directed by Gumby. That sets up a chance for the dinosaur, cheekily named Arnie after writer-director Arnold Leibovit, to talk about George Pal and the Puppetoons, which in turn leads to a grabbag of Puppetoon offerings.

While this set is filled with impressive supplements, and some of them, like the commentary and the documentary about Pal, do get into some of the background of the Puppetoons, this release made me actually yearn for a documentary about the Puppetoons, their creation, the animation techniques, and perhaps notably given current racial divisions that are front page news, some of the questionable stereotypes depicted in what was evidently the Puppetoons' most popular creation, a little Black boy named Jasper. As it stands, though, The Puppetoon Movie is a fantastic introduction to a series of shorts that has become woefully forgotten, this despite the fact that Pal literally received annual Academy Award nominations for seven years running for these shorts throughout the forties, and was even granted an honorary Oscar in 1944 for having created the Puppetoons.

The Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Puppetoon Movie is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of B2MP with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. There are some "baked in" issues with regard to some of the archival sources, as evidently some of these Puppetoon shorts have withstood the ravages of time better than others. While some can show occasionally pretty significant damage (see screenshots 18 and 19), the bulk are in rather good shape overall, with a really nicely suffused palette recreating that "classic" Technicolor look. Reds occasionally looked just slightly orange to my eyes, but other primaries really burst with considerable authority. Detail levels are generally quite good, and it's important to remember that the Puppetoons were indeed "real" 3D objects with actual textures which can be discerned in many shots. The grain field is somewhat variable, but ironically may look the least organic in the more contemporary bookending segments.

The Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Puppetoon Movie features DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 and LPCM 2.0 tracks, though it should be noted that all of the Puppetoon shorts had mono audio, so only so much surround activity can be gleaned. Mostly it's noticeable in the bookending segments, where both score and some ambient environmental effects can dot the side and rear channels. The archival audio is considerably boxy at times, especially in the many musical elements, but overall is not hobbled by any really problematic damage.

The Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Commentary by Arnold Leibovit and Jerry Beck


• High Definition Bonus Puppetoons

  Rhythm in the Ranks (1080p; 9:59)

  
  

  The Sky Princess (1080p; 7:33)

  
  

  The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1080p; 8:53)

  
  

  And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1080p; 7:21)

  
  

  Jasper and the Beanstalk (1080p; 7:45)

  
  

  Date with Duke (1080p; 7:39)

  
  

  Rhapsody in Wood (1080p; 9:15)

• Standard Definition Bonus Puppetoons can be in somewhat more ragged shape than the high definition material (regardless of resolution), but these all commendably feature LPCM 2.0 Mono audio:

  What Ho She Bumps (480p; 7:41)

  
  

  Mr. Strauss Takes a Walk (480p; 7:42)

  
  

  Olio for Jasper (480p; 7:59)

  
  

  Philips Cavalcade (480p; 5:42)

  
  

  Jasper's Derby (480p; 8:46)

  
  

  Hoola Boola (480p; 8:50)

  
  

  Ether Symphony (480p; 8:12)

  
  

  Aladdin and the Magic Lamp (480p; 4:40)

  
  

  The Magic Atlas (480p; 7:40)

  
  

  Jasper and the Haunted House (480p; 6:58)

  
  

  The Philips Broadcast of 1938 (480p; 5:11)

  
  

  The Ship of the Ether (480p; 7:21)

• The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal (480i; 1:33:30) is the hugely appealing documentary made by Arnold Leibovit which covers Geeorge Pal's career but also his continued impact. Video quality is a little iffy here, but audio is once again LPCM 2.0 Mono.


• Trailers

  The Puppetoon Movie Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:51)

  
  

  The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal Trailer (480i; 3:57)

• Production Still Gallery (480p; 4:43)


• Reminiscing with Puppetoon Animator Bob Baker (480i; 12:53) is a really interesting piece which gets into some of the technical aspects of the animation.

Disc Two

• The Great Rupert (1080p; 1:28:14) is a fun black and white feature that Pal produced in 1950 that features a number of notable performers like Jimmy Durante, as well as a stop motion squirrel as the title character. Video quality is generally excellent, and this features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono sound.


• Previously Unreleased Interviews

  Wah Chang (480i; 11:20)

  
  

  Roy Disney (480i; 8:03)

  
  

  Duke Goldstone (480i; 10:50)

  
  

  Ray Harryhausen (480i; 19:02)

  
  

  Gene Roddenberry (480i; 9:50)

  
  

  Ray Bradbury (480i; 2:06)

  
  

  Russ Tamblyn (480i; 26:01)

• Bonus Materials

  Destination Moon Trailer (480p; 2:08)

  
  

  The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal Trailer (480i; 3:57)

  
  

  The Puppetoon Movie Trailer (480p; 1:50)

  
  

  Disney Animator Ward Kimball Discusses His Relationship with George Pal and Walt Disney (480i; 8:35)

  
  

  KTLA "City at Night" on the Set of Destination Moon (480p; 22:30)

  
  

  The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Premiere Opening at the Indian Mills Cinerama Theater in Omaha, nebraska (1962) (480p; 5:54)

  
  

  George Pal Discusses His Film The Power (480p; 7:30)

  
  

  The Pal Family in Las Cruces, Baja California (June 15, 1952) (480i; 2:26)

  
  

  George Pal Outside of His Studio in Eindhoven, Holland (1933) (480p; 00:36)

  
  

  Production Photo and Art Gallery (480i; 5:51)

  
  

  Wah Chang Hand Puppet (480p; 00:27)

The Puppetoon Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mr. Leibovit recently reached out to me and the site to announce the release of his follow-up to this film, a release which is evidently still in a crowdfunding stage. As evidenced by The Puppetoon Movie, there's a good chance that the sequel will be a real delight for stop motion animation fans in general and George Pal fans in particular. This release offers generally secure technical merits, but it's the really outstanding supplemental package which may be of greatest interest to many. Recommended.